CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3117, 10 December 1913, Page 37

CASUALTIES.

A married man named H. Colder, a Union Company’s employee, fell from a ladder on the Auckland wharf on the 2nd inst. He was admitted to the hospital immediately, suffering from concussion of the brain. His condition is regarded as serious. An elderly man named Wiliam Smith, a resident of Bulls for 35 years, was killed instantaneously on the 2nd. Ho was giving a lad a ride behind him while returning homo from the Martou stock sales, and the horse, objecting to the double burden, threw Mr Smith. Ho fell on his forehead, and was killed. He leaves a widow and eight children, all grown up. A young man named Reginald C. Faber, aged 18 years, met with a fatal accident on the 2nd. While riding u motor bicycle ho collided with a dray, and sustained a fractured larynx. Death resulted this afternoon . He was a wcllknown athlete, and an ex-student of the Collegiate School. Ho represented Wanganui in Rugby football. cricket, hockey, and was an oarsman. Edward Petford,' aged 25 years, single, while driving a cart for Messrs Bond and Bell, merchants, across a level railway crossing at Auckland, was struck by a train. Petford and the horse wore both killed. Duncan M'Callum, aged about 35 years, a grain and produce merchant, was found dead at his home at Springlands, Blenheim, on tlie 2nd. The circumstances point to suicide. A shotgun was found with a strap tied to the trigger and fastened to a stove. Evidently tlie deceased had placed the gun barrel in his month, pulled and discharged the weapon. His head was shattered. Deceased wife and child were on a visit to Nelson at the time of the tragedy. A fatal accident befell Alfred Tennyson Moss, aged 21. who resided with his widowed mother in Frame stree,t North-East Valley. It appears that Moss was riding home on a bicycle on the Ist inst. a little after 5 o'clock, and was keeping to the tram track. As lie earns near to the George Street School a tram car, driven by Motorman Lenz, came into view, travelling from North-East Valley, on the parallel track. Just at that time Megs must have heard the sound of a motor cvcle which was coming along behind him, and, evidently not noticing the oncoming tram car, went to cross oxer the road, to make way for the motor cyclist, instead of pulling into the footpath on his left-hand side. The motorman sounded his gong and applied the brakes, but the cyclist shot right across in front of the car and was struck by its left-hand corner, being hurled to the ground. Ho was at once taken to the Hospital in an ambulance, but died shortly after his admission without recovering consciousness. Deceased was a foreman in the employ of Messrs Coopers (Limited), and had been working on a job at Anderson Bay. At the inquest, after hearing the evidence, the Coroner said the evidence was very clear and definite, and showed that no possible blame was attachable to the driver of tlie car with which the deceased came i into unfortunate collision. The sole blame, if any. seemed to be attachable to the do ceased himself, and if ho had followed the rule of the road no accident would have happened. Death waa due to injuries aooi--1 dentally received, by the deceased coming ! into . ontaet with a tramcar, no blame being attaehablo to anyone. Clarence Lionel Reid, 12 years of age, died I at Auckland as the result, of an accident i v.-hiei: he met with a. fortnight ogo. He was found by his brother lying unconscious under a tree on his father’s farm, and it j is supposed that ho had fallen off tho tree. A medical examination showed that he had

sustained a compound fracture of one arm and one leg, and was Suffering from concussion of the brain. At the inquest the coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. The nine-year-old sou of Mr George M’Kay had his left leg fractured above tlio ankle as a result of slipping while playing at the To Houka School on Monday afternoon. He was conveyed fro Baielutha bymotor ear, and attended to by Dr Stenhouse. The Superintendent of Police is in receipt of a telegram stating that a man named William Annis. a widower, aged 70 years, died suddenly on the 4th instant at Haka-tara-moa Valley. Mr Charles Holman, an old resident of Lyell, was killed instantaneously on the sth by being thrown from a trap and kicked on the head by a horse. His daughter was also thrown out. but she escaped with a shaking. The harness broke, and the horse became unmanageable. At the inquest today touching the death of William Baker, whose dead body was found hanging from a rafter at a brick kiln last Monday morning, ihe coroner returned a verdict to the effect that deceased had hanged himself while in a state of unsound mind. A boating fatality occurred at Tolaga Bay on Saturday afternoon. Three Maoris were crossing the bar on their way fishing, when the boat capsized in the surf. One Native swam ashore, and kit the ocher two clinging to the boat. A launch at once went out to their assistance, but in the meantime the boat drifted ashore, and when the launch arrived on the scene both Maoris were in shallow water, one supporting tiro other This man was got ashore with difficulty in a semi-unconscious state. A doctor was immediately sent for. but the man collapsed, death being due to shock. The deceased was a well-known identity, and was familiarly known as “Teapot.” His name was Tcpura, and he was 77 years of ago. A young man, John Tonks. was drowned in the Makara River, Wellington, near the beach, on the 7th inst. A man named P. Bailey was admitted to the Wellington Hospital on the 7th suffering from an unusual mtehap. By some means a beetle entered bis car, which was blooding profusely, rendering a critical operation necessary. William Boyce, an old man, residing at Dunedin, died quietly in his bed some time in tin 1 small hours of Saturday morning. For the past two years the deceased had resided with Joseph Pledger at 16 Elm row, and at 9 o’clock on Friday night he complained to Mr Pledger that ho felt unwell. He declined to allow a doctor to be sent for. however, saying that he would be better in the morning. At 1 a.in. he asked for a drink, which was given to him by the grand-daughter of the occupant of the house. At 6 a.m. he was found dead. The police were notified, and Dr Gordon Macdonald, who could not certify as to the cause of death, conducted a post mortem examination. An inquest was hold by Mr C. C. Graham on Saturday afternoon, when Dr Macdonald testified that the cause of death was severe pneumonia of the right lung. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence. A Chinaman named Wong Yoe, aged 68 years and employed as a market gardener at Green Island, was found dead at noon on Saturday in a small house situated in Walker street. It appears that deceased came into town on Friday night to see a friend named Wong Young. He went to sleep in ihe small house by himself, and as ho was missed on Saturday morning a search was made, with the above result. At. the inquest a vet diet was returned that death was due to a cystic disease of the kidneys. A veterinary surgeon named I hone Gifford Palgrave, aged 42 years, was found dead at Ids, residence in Brighton road, Parnell. Auckland. It was reported to the police that death had apparently been due to poisoning. Deceased, prior to going to Parnell about a year ago from New South Wales, had a serious nervous breakdown. and since then had been very despondent at timer-. On Monday. Bth hist, Mrs Palgrave wont for a walk, and on her return about 1.30 p.m. she could not find her husband. Eventually she looked through a window of the washhouse, where she saw him lying on a box apparently dead. She summoned Dr Kinder, who found that life was extinct. The family had intended to leave for Gisborne shortly. Roy Loaning, agfd two years, a son of Me Ernest Leaning, of Royal terrace, Rornuera, died at the hospital on the 7th as the result of scalds received the previous day. On Saturday morning the child was playing in the kitchen at his parents’ residence, and fell into a tub of hot water while the attention of those in the room was tempor.rdy distracted. Dr Hunt was summoned. and ordered his moral to the lios-p’t-.-l, where death resulted yesterday afterworking on the Muritai at Wangaxi- • <m the 7th iut-r. a local wharf work, -, Donald Munro. met with a rather s r : tts e ; .r. A gang of men were getthe gea ready to work cargo from the lit. :*. when some of the appliances on a tk --I k-1; bream- th taehrd and fell on the deck, striking Munro. He was pieked sip and first aid vwis remhi'd on she boat, aft«-r whi h he was conveyed ashore and taken to the hospital. An examination disclosed the fact that Munro is suffering from concuss : on t-s well as a broken left arm and a severe shaking. A sad drowning fatality occurred at Shag Point on Sunday morning. Mr Charles Twitting was rowing a flat bottomed beat from Shag Point round to the mouth of the Shag River. The sea, although not very rough, had an occasional big roller coming in. Mr Twining had not gone more than ICO yards from the old boat, harbour before two rollers in succession caught his boat and upset it. lie bung on to the boat, and Mr Earland tried to throw a lino to bint from the shore, failing which lie took off his clothes and started to swim to his assistance. Before he reached Mr Twining, the latter threw up his a rids and disappeared. Before Mr Earland started to swim to help him Mr Twining called out that lie was all right, and could easily get ashore.